Instant Thumb Piano: How to make a set screw lamellaphone

Step 10 TRY THINGS

Here is a conceptual conglomerate.
The photo near the bottom of the page shows a zither from a thrift store mounted with the grounding bar kalimba which holds uniform spring steel tines. The bar is sitting on a steel shim and the tines are slightly bent to get above the zither strings.


Example of instrument using plastic swizzle sticks for tines

New 2008 all thumb piano audio album:
Lamellaphone - http://cdbaby.com/cd/rpcollier4
http://www.doncampau.com/lw2007.htm

For more of my thumb piano experiments:
thumb pianos by RP Collier

thumb piano demos:
faux fur demo
chopping block lamellaphone
more mostly thumb piano videos:
videos by RP Collier

Example for tapping, scraping and bowing:

 

Greg Bossert of Suddensound.com also provides a great example of using mallets or drumsticks to tap long tines in the grounding bar which results in good bass tones:
http://www.suddensound.com/workshop/hammeredkalimba.html
Check out the sound sample:
http://www.suddensound.com/workshop/samples/hammeredkalimba.mp3